Apparatus for dispensing fasteners

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for dispensing fastener attachment members of the type having a filament with heads on both ends, the device including a casing, a needle projecting from the casing, the needle having a bore through which the fastener attachment member is adapted to be dispensed, a plunger or ejector adapted to force one head of the attachment member through the needle bore, the plunger advanced by the combination of a gear and sliding rack, the sliding rack in the form of a thin plate and in which the attachment members are fed before the needle and in front of the ejector by an indexing wheel advanced by a feed pawl with a slotted hole which allows it to rock in and out of engagement with the indexing wheel as it is moved back and forth.

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Pat. Application Ser.No. 169,413 filed Aug. 5, 1971, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,759,435 issued Sept.18, 1973.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed to a new and improved apparatus fordispensing and inserting fastener attachment members having a filamentand heads on either end.

This invention finds particular utility in applications such asanchoring tags to articles of apparel, coupling layers of materialtogether, coupling buttons or the like to coats and other articles ofclothing and in many other applications which require that two or morelayers of material be held together.

The present invention is in particular an improvement over other devicessuch as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,103,666. In addition, U.S. Pat. Nos.3,470,834 and 3,494,004 may also be referred to for a description of thestate of the art.

For many years, a device such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,103,666 hasbeen sold and has been used quite widely. Although such devices arequite acceptable and reliable, there has developed a need for a new andimproved device, or apparatus which would be even more reliable anddurable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In particular, this invention provides an apparatus which includes a newand improved feed mechanism which maintains a grip on the carriersupporting the fastener attachment member until the attachment memberhas been delivered into the needle bore of the needle of the apparatus.This features insures against misfeeds and jams and thus provides morereliable operation.

Still another improvement in this apparatus is that it is constructed sothat a second feed of an attachment member is prevented from occurringuntil the previous operation has been fully completed. This too preventsjamming of the apparatus.

The apparatus of this invention also includes a new and improved rack orslide and drive arrangement for moving the ejector to force theattachment member through the needle bore. The rack is constructed sothat there are no pockets to collect or retain lint or other foreignmaterials which could ultimately lead to the apparatus malfunctioning.

Other uses and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious andwill in part also be apparent from the description which follows. Theinvention accordingly comprises the features of construction,combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts which will beexemplified in the construction hereinafter described.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of the apparatus according to the inventionshowing one of the handles of the apparatus in two positions;

FIG. 2 is a view of the opposite side of the apparatus according to theinvention;

FIG. 3 is a top view of a portion of the apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the apparatus with parts broken away andremoved to show the operating mechanism of the apparatus;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7--7 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a top view of a slidable slide or rack adapted to be movedback and forth by the movement of the handle according to the invention;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the slide of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line 10--10 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a side view of a slidable bar or link according to theinvention which is adapted to be moved back and forth by the plate asshown in FIGS. 8 and 9;

FIG. 12 is a top view of the bar shown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along line 13--13 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along line 14--14 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged side view of the indexing or feed mechanismaccording to the invention;

FIG. 16 is a side view of the feed pawl shown in FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a view of the plate carrying a detent shown in FIG. 15;

FIG. 18 is a sectional view taken along line 18--18 of FIG. 15;

FIG. 19 is a sectional view taken along line 19--19 of FIG. 15;

FIGS. 20-22 illustrates the operation of the feed mechanism of theinvention;

FIG. 23 illustrates in a front view the member for permitting theindexing wheel shown in FIG. 4 to free wheel;

FIG. 24 is a sectional view taken along line 24--24 of FIG. 23;

FIG. 25 is a back view of the member shown in FIG. 23;

FIG. 26 is a front view of a fastener attachment member supported by acarrier therefore;

FIG. 27 illustrates in a side view a number of fastener attachmentmembers supported by a carrier therefore;

FIGS. 28-32 illustrates in side view, top view and bottom with partsbroken away, and end view respectively of a needle suitable for use inthis invention;

FIG. 33 illustrates another needle construction suitable for use in thisinvention.

FIG. 34 illustrates in a front view taken from the left of FIG. 21looking towards the right of FIG. 21 the feed mechanism of theinvention;

FIGS. 35 and 36 illustrate in top and side views the preferredconstruction of the member 84 shown in FIG. 34;

FIG. 37 illustrates the preferred construction of the member 85 and itsat rest position with respect to member 98; and

FIGS. 38 and 39 illustrate in front and side views the preferredconstruction of the member 85.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In FIGS. 26 and 27 there is illustrated fastener attachment memberssuitable for being dispensed by the apparatus of this invention.Attachment members are shown at 30 and include a filament 31 and heads32 and 33. (See the aforementioned patents for further details). Acarrier 34 with connecting members 35 is provided for coupling theattachment members 30 to the carrier. When the attachment members 30 aredisposed through the needle, they are separated from the carrier bycutting the connecting member as will be disclosed hereafter.

Reference should now be had to FIGS. 1-33 for a brief description of theoverall apparatus of the invention. The apparatus is shown at 38 andcomprises an outer casing or body 40 comprising two halves 41a and 41band a handle 42 pivotly coupled thereto by a coupling means 43. The bodyincludes a nose portion 40a in which there is formed guides 40b, 40c and40d for the passage of the fastener attachment members, carrier andcoupling members into the apparatus and then for the exiting of carrierand coupling members out of the apparatus after the fastener attachmentmembers have been dispensed.

In the nose 40a there is mounted a needle 45 having an elongated slot45a for the passage of a fastener attachment head 32 therethrough whilethe filament 31 between heads 32 and 33 projects through the slot 45a.The needle includes a rear cutting edge 45b for cutting the couplingmembers 35 as well as a second slot 45c for permitting the head of thefastener attachment members to be fed into the apparatus.

The construction of the preferred needles for use in the apparatus aremore fully shown in FIGS. 28-33 and will be described later herein.

The needle 45 is locked in place in the nose 41a by a locking pin 46which includes a handle 46a and a slot therein (not shown) to permit theneedle 45 mounting portion 45f to be inserted into a bore 47 provided inthe nose 40a.

In order to force or feed fastener attachment members into the needleslot 45a, the handle 42 is attached by a pivotally connected member 48to gear means comprising a pair of gear segments 49 and 50, each havinggear teeth 49a and 50a along the top surface thereof. The member 48 ispivotally connected at 51 to the gear segments as shown in FIG. 6. Thegear segments 49 and 50 are in turn pivotally coupled to the body 40 ofthe apparatus as also shown more particularly in FIG. 6. At 60 there isprovided a slide (see in particular FIGS. 4,6,7 and 8-10) which ispositioned to slide back and forth in the body having guide slots 41dand 41e formed therein in the body halves 41a and 41b respectively.

The slide 60 has formed therein a plurality of holes 60a shaped toreceive the gear teeth 49a and 50a. The holes extend from the bottomsurface 60b to the top surface 60c and are formed in two rows as shownto receive the gear teeth of the gear segments. In this manner lint orother foreign matter is prevented from clogging the combined operationof the slide and gear segments since the lint will be pushed out of theholes 60a by the gear teeth. As the gear segments pivot back and forththe slide 60 moves forward and rearward.

The slide 60 also includes a hole 60d and a cavity 60e which areconstructed to receive an ejector or plunger 61 having an "L" shaped end61a (see FIG. 4). The ejector end 61a is supported by the slide formovement therewith to permit the ejector to move back and forth to expelfastener attachment members through the needle.

The ejector 61 is supported at its forward end by a guide member 62 (seeFIG. 4 and FIG. 13) and a separator or cover plate 90 held between thebody halves (see FIGS. 13, 14 and 17).

The rotation of the handle 42 causes the gear segments (see FIG. 4) torotate counterclockwise to move the ejector in a timed manner forward toforce a head 32 of the fastener attachment member 30 through the needleto dispense it therefrom. As the ejector moves forward it causes thecoupling member 35 to be severed by the cutting edge 45b of the needle.In order to return the ejector rearward again for the next sequence ofoperations to expel the next one of a plurality of fastener attachmentmembers, there is provided a resilient return means 70 comprising acavity 71 formed in the body for the movement of a telescoping member 72therein. The telescoping member 72 is pivotally coupled to the gearsegments 49 and 50 at 73 (see FIGS. 4 and 6) to rotate the cam segmentsclockwise by the action of resilient biasing means such as a spring 74positioned in the cavity 71. Thus after the handle 42 is rotated orclosed towards the body and then released, the return means will causethe handle to move away from the body to the extended position shown inFIG. 4.

The apparatus also includes an indexing mechanism 80 for positioningfastener attachment members one at a time at the rear of the needle inorder to be dispensed by the ejector therethrough. The indexingmechanism 80 comprises an indexing wheel or indexing gear 81 supportedfor rotation by a shaft 82 coupled thereto which in turn is supported bya bore 83 in the body (see FIGS. 4, 14 and 15).

The indexing gear is positioned in a space between the cover 90 and ashelf 41c (see FIGS. 14 and 15) provided in body half 41b. Clearanceexists between the gear 81 and the cover 90 and shelf 41c so that thewheel can rotate freely.

The gear 81 has a plurality of teeth 81a mounted along the circumferencethereof which are adapted to engage the coupling members 35 to move thecarrier 34 and the fastener attachment members through the apparatus.The indexing gear is rotated counterclockwise as shown in FIGS. 4 and 15by the provision of a pawl 84 which is constructed with a slotted pivothole 84a supported by support means such as the shaft 82 coupled to theindexing gear 81. The pawl 84 is adapted to rock back and forth over theshaft 82 as the result of the movement of drive means such as a link 85which is pivotally coupled thereto at 86. The pawl preferably includes apusher such as a hook-like end 84b preferably having a pointed tip 84cto engage one tooth at a time of the indexing gear to rotate it (seeFIGS. 4 and 16).

The pawl end 84b is preferably provided with a bend at 84d so that aportion of the pawl will lie against the cover 90 (see FIG. 18) thusproviding a space, or clearance between the pawl and the wheel toprovide free movement of the slotted portion of the pawl so the pawl isrocked back and forth. The tip 84c of the pawl also extends above thewheel teeth 81a as shown in FIG. 15. The pawl thus preferably has aportion that is in a parallel plane with the wheel and has anotherportion which lies within the plane of the wheel. The pawl is held inplace by a resiliently biased member 87 which is positioned within acavity 88 and urged toward the pawl by a resilient biasing means such asa spring 89 (see FIG. 14).

The member 87 urges the pawl 84 against the cover 90 to frictionallyhold the hook-end portion 84b against the cover (see FIG. 18) as thepawl is rocked back and forth on the shaft.

The slot 84a has parallel upper and lower walls 84aa which are angularlydisposed with respect to point 84c so that when the pawl is rocked inone direction to the left in FIG. 4, point 84c is cammed out ofengagement with the indexing wheel and when rocked in an oppositedirection point 84c is cammed into engagement with the indexing wheel.Thus there exists an acute angle "α" between the parallel walls 84aa andpoint 84c as shown to effect the above mentioned camming movement. Pawl84 (portion 84b) is frictionally held against cover 90 by plunger 87 andspring 88 (see FIG. 18) so that when the opposite end of pawl 84 ismoved by link 85 the first action that takes place is to move slottedportion 84a to the end of its travel. Because the sides of the slot areangled with respect to the tip of the pawl 84c (see FIG. 16) movement inone direction causes tip 84c to cam out of engagement with gear 81 (seeFIG. 20) and movement in the other direction causes tip 84c to cam intoengagement with the gear 81. Further movement of link 85 in thedirection which caused engagement will then cause rotation of the gear(see FIG. 21).

In order to prevent the wheel from rotating as the pawl is rocked backand forth for indexing of the wheel, there is provided on cover member90 (see FIGS. 15, 17 and 19) a resilient member 91 extending therefromwhich has a projection or detent 91a.

The detent 91a is adapted to be positioned in the space 92 between theteeth 81a (see FIG. 19) to prevent the wheel from rotating. The detent91a is adapted to slide over the side of the teeth 81a when sufficientforce is applied to rotate the wheel, as for example by the action ofthe pawl 84. Thus the detent 91a acts as a stop which can be overridenby the forceable movement of the wheel 81. The provision of the detentalso provides positive control of the carrier for the fastenerattachment members.

The drive means to rock the pawl back and forth comprises the link 85which is mounted in the body 40 and is supported for slidable movement(see FIGS. 7, 11, 12 and 20-22).

The link 85 includes a cutout 85a having stop means 85b at either end ofthe cutout 85a. The stop means are adapted to engage a projection 60fextending downwardly from the slide 60 (see FIGS. 8, 9 and 20-22). Thusas the slide 60 moves back and forth, the link 85 will be movedtherewith to cause the link to slide back and forth to rock the pawlback and forth to index the indexing gear. The link 85 is supported atits rearward end by a member 95 positioned in a cavity 96 (see FIGS. 4and 7) formed in the body and which is resiliently biased against thelink 85 by a spring 97. The upward movement of the link 85 is restrictedby a projection 98 extending from the body (see FIGS. 4 and 7), and thesideway movement of the link 85 in one direction is restricted by a pin99 coupled to the body (see FIG. 7). The projection 98 may also act as arear stop for stop 85b if desired (see FIG. 37 for the preferredconstruction and relationship between members 85b and 98).

The link 85 also includes a projection 85c extending sideways as shownin FIGS. 11 and 12. The projection is coupled to release control member100 (see FIGS. 23-25, and FIG. 1) having a bore 100a into which theprojection 85c extends and is held thereby. The member 100 includes afinger projection 100b which extends through a window 101 formed in thebody (see FIG. 1).

The downward and sideways movement (to the left of FIG. 22) of theprojection 100b will cause as shown in FIG. 22 the link 85, to pull thepawl 84 away from the teeth of the indexing gear 81 and thus permit acarrier 34 with fastener attachment members coupled thereto to be pulledout therefrom by rotating the gear 81 while over-riding the action ofthe detent 91a.

Briefly, the operation of the apparatus of the invention is as follows:(1) fastener attachment members and a carrier therefore are fed into theapparatus by inserting the carrier with the fastener attachment memberscoupled thereto through guides in the nose; (2) the handle 43 is thenclosed upon the body to move the slide 60 to the left as shown in FIG.20 to cause the ejector 61 to force a fastener attachment head throughthe needle while at the same time causing the coupling member to besevered by the needle cutting edges 45b; (3) the movement of the link tothe left also rocks the pawl 84 to the right as shown in FIG. 20; (4)when the handle 42 is released, the resiliently biased member 72 movestowards the right to cause the slide 60 to move rearward thus moving thelink 85 to the right; (5) this also causes the ejector to be retractedfrom the needle and further causes the pawl 84 to be rocked forward torotate the indexing gear counterclockwise to position the next fastenerattachment member into position to be dispensed from the needle.

In FIGS. 28-31 there is shown the preferred construction of the needle45 shown in FIG. 4. The needle comprises two parts which aremechanically locked together, one part being shown at 45e and themounting portion being shown at 45f. The mounting portion preferably isconstructed of a hard or rigid plastic while the part 45e is preferablyconstructed of metal. The needle includes the slot 45a, the rear cuttingedge 45b, the second slot 45c as heretofore described. The rear cuttingedge is preferably shaped as a "V" with the bottom of the "V" having asmall radius of curvature to facilitate cutting of materials such aspolyurethane.

In FIG. 33 there is shown a slightly different needle construction. Thisneedle is preferably one piece metal and has the slots and cutting edgeas heretofore described. For further reference to the construction ofpreferred needles useful in the practice of this invention reference maybe had to U.S. Patent Application of the same inventor of thisapplication entitled "Fastener Attachment System Needle Constructions"filed in the U.S. Patent Office on June 30, 1971 now copending as U.S.Ser. No. 158,438.

Reference should briefly be had to FIGS. 34-36 which illustrates themost preferred construction of the pawl 84. The pawl 84 in theconstruction shown includes a retainer or projection 84c which extendsbeyond the tip or point of 84c. The retainer or projection 84e ispreferably provided to insure that the pawl 84 doesn't slip out ofcontact with member 87 when it is drawn back when member 85c isdepressed.

Reference should now be had to FIG. 37 which illustrates the mostpreferred construction of the member 85, and particularly member 85b andits at rest condition as illustrated in FIG. 4. In this Figure themember 85b is shortened so that it doesn't engage member 98 in anycondition and thus member 98 would not act as a stop therefore.

In FIGS. 38 and 39 there is illustrated the now preferred constructionof the drive means 85 which is now constructed with a finger or member85e formed or bent therefrom and which is positioned within a secondhole 84f provided in the pawl 84. In this manner the pawl is rocked backand forth with member 85 motion.

I claim:
 1. In an apparatus for dispensing fastener attachment membersone at a time, said fastener attachment members being coupled to acarrier by a coupling member and which includes a body, a hollow needlehaving an elongated slot along one side supported by said body andextending therefrom, an ejector supported by the body for driving a headof the fastener attachment member through said needle with a filament ofthe fastener attachment member coupled to the head projecting throughsaid slot, and an indexing wheel having a plurality of teeth forengaging the coupling members to feed one fastener member at a time intoposition to be fed through said needle, the improvement comprising anindexing pawl for engaging the teeth of the wheel, one at a time, toadvance the wheel to position fastener attachment members into positionto be fed through said needle, said pawl having a slotted pivot hole anda tip for engaging the teeth of the wheel, first means supported by thebody and passing through the slotted pivot hole to permit the pawl torock back and forth thereon, and drive means coupled to the pawl forrocking the pawl back and forth to cause said tip to engage said teethone at a time to advance the indexing wheel, in which said first meanscomprises a shaft coupled to said indexing wheel which supports it forrotation, in which said pawl is provided with a bend so that a portionof the pawl lies next to the indexing wheel and another portion of thepawl extends above said indexing wheel in order to engage the teeth ofsaid wheel, in which first resilient biasing means to provided to biassaid pawl against a cover, said resilient biasing means supported bysaid body, and in which the pawl includes a projecting retainer portionfor engaging the resilient biasing means when the pawl is in one of itspossible positions.
 2. In an apparatus for dispensing fastenerattachment members one at a time, said fastener attachment members beingcoupled to a carrier by a coupling member and which includes a body, ahollow needle having an elongated slot along one side supported by saidbody and extending therefrom, an ejector supported by the body fordriving a head of the fastener attachment member through said needlewith a filament of the fastener attachment member coupled to the headprojecting through said slot, and an indexing wheel having a pluralityof teeth for engaging the coupling members to feed one fastener memberat a time into position to be fed through said needle, the improvementcomprising an indexing pawl for engaging the teeth of the wheel, one ata time, to advance the wheel to position fastener attachment membersinto position to be fed through said needle, said pawl having a slottedpivot hole and a tip for engaging the teeth of the wheel, first meanssupported by the body and passing through the slotted pivot hole topermit the pawl to rock back and forth thereon, and drive means coupledto the pawl for rocking the pawl back and forth to cause said tip toengage said teeth one at a time to advance the indexing wheel, in whichthe indexing pawl has a second hole formed therein and in which thedrive means is provided with a projecting finger which is positionedwithin the hole to rock the pawl back and forth. .Iadd.
 3. Apparatus forattaching tags using fasteners, each fastener including a bar sectionand a button section joined by a filament section; said apparatuscomprising a body; a tubular guide member extending outwardly of thesaid body, a bore extending lengthwise of said tubular member and anelongated slot in the side of said tubular member communicating withsaid bore; an ejector engageable with the bar section of the fastenerfor driving the bar section through the bore while its filament sectionextends through the slot; means for operating said ejector; means,including a toothed member, for advancing one fastener at a time untilits bar section is in alignment with said bore; a pawl connected to alink having spaced stop means and cooperable with said toothed member; aslide coupled to the operating means and mounted for reciprocal motionwithin said body; said slide having a portion thereof engageable withsaid spaced stop means. .Iaddend. .Iadd.
 4. Apparatus for attachinglabels and the like to textiles and similar objects with attachments,each comprising a filament with a cross bar at one end and connected toform an assemblage, the apparatus having (a) a housing for guiding theassemblages and a hollow tube-like projection through which individualmembers of the assemblage are ejected with their cross bars within thetube and their filaments extending from the tube, (b) an ejector and anactuator coupled thereto, (c) a ratchet wheel rotatably mounted withinthe housing, (d) means for operating said ratchet wheel in a directionto feed a cross bar into alignment with said hollow tube-likeprojection, (e) a spring mounted within the housing to inhibit motion ofthe ratchet wheel in a direction opposite to the direction of feed, (f)a slide operated by said actuator and engageable with the ratchetoperating means for moving the latter between two end positions..Iaddend..Iadd.
 5. Apparatus in accordance with claim 4 for dispensingattachments wherein said tube-like projection has an enlarged end forremovable insertion into said housing and is provided with a cuttingedge over at least a portion of said enlarged end. .Iaddend..Iadd. 6.Apparatus for dispensing attachments comprising a device for receivingand feeding an assemblage of attachments and a needle having an enlargedportion for removable insertion into said device, said needle having aslot to permit individual attachments to be dispensed therethrough, anda cutting edge on said enlarged portion for severing an individualattachment from said assemblage for feeding through said needle..Iaddend. .Iadd.
 7. Apparatus for dispensing attachment members, eachbeing formed by a filament with a head at one end and a cross bar at theother end and being moved into position for being dispensed, comprisingan ejector, an indexing wheel, a pawl for operating said indexing wheel,an extension for said pawl, a slide mounted for reciprocating motion insaid apparatus for engaging said extension to move said pawldiscontinuously to two distinctive positions, and means for moving saidslide and said ejector. .Iaddend..Iadd.
 8. Apparatus in accordance withclaim 7 wherein the extension of said pawl has two spaced-apart stopsand said slide has a projection which contacts said stops alternativelyduring operation of the moving means. .Iaddend..Iadd.
 9. Apparatus asdefined in claim 7 wherein said ejector is connected to said slide, saidmoving means comprising a gear pivotally mounted in said apparatus tooperate said slide, and means pivotally mounted to operate said gear,whereby said gear acts upon said slide to advance said ejector intoposition for dispensing said attachment members. .Iaddend..Iadd. 10.Apparatus as defined in claim 7 wherein said attachment members aredispensed through a hollow needle which includes a mounting portionremovably recessed in said apparatus. .Iaddend..Iadd.
 11. Apparatus asdefined in claim 10 wherein the mounting portion is constructed of rigidplastic and the remainder of the needle is constructed of metal..Iaddend. .Iadd.
 12. Apparatus as defined in claim 10 wherein saidneedle includes a cutter in the mounting portion thereof. .Iaddend.